Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-08-18
Ohio Republicans and Wool.
[Chicago Times.1


Senator Shermans Ohio platform
contains a plank demanding such
duties on wool and manufactures there
of as will secure the American market
to American producers. The same
plank denounces the Democratic plat
form for demanding reduction of the
present duties on wool and on woolen
and worsted goods. and proceeds to
say: Such reduction would destroy
the wool-growing and wooden manu-
featuring industries, would invite
large imports, etc.
Any reduction of the present tariff
taxes, would, we are told, destroy our
wool-growing and woolen manufac-
turing industries. How? By reduc-
ing the prices of woolen goods to such
an extent that they could no longer be
proitably made in this country. There
is no other way in which a reduction
of duties could possibly destroy the
industries referred to. 1t necessarily
follows that Senator Sherman's plat
form admits that the tariff taxes on
woolen goods make the prices of those
goods higher. 1t follows, too, that the
demand for higher taxes amounts to a
demand for higher prices for the
goods. Vi
How mu:h higher do the taxes
make woolen goods? The taxes av-
erage over 81 per cent. but it is well
known importers count on doubling
the foreign price, as they demand a
profit on the money they advance in
the payment of taxes. We import
some $40, O,000,OOO worth Of these goods
annually. The taxes make them cost
consumers $SO,OOO,OOO. We produce
at home what costs consumers some
$240, 900, of which about one-half,
or Sl2O, 900, is due to'the taxes on
imports The taxes take, in all, fully
$l6O,OOO,00O from American con-
sumers every year. And yet Mr.
Sherman's" platform calls for still
higher taxes, and denounces the Dem
ocratic platform for demanding lower
taxes. The Sherman platform pro-
poses to take more than 100000, GOO
a year from American consumers for
the benefit of comparatively small
number of producers.
The trainers of the Sherman plat
form saw that they were making a
damaging admission when they said
that any reduction of the tariff taxes
referee to would destroy our wool
and woolen industries. They saw that
they were inviting the question
whether over 60 100000 of consumers
oughtto be made to pay double prices
for the benefit of perhaps million Of
producers. Ant: so they went on to
say that lowering the taxes would
'give the control Of our market to
foreign producers, who would ulti-
mately demand exorbitant prices.
Thus the platform. builders sought to
save themselves with the outrageously
taxed consumers by telling them that
foreigners would ultimately charge
exorbitant prices if they should get
control OF our markets. ...
We heard the same prediction when
the tax on imported quinine was
abolished, but the prediction proved
false. The Ohio prediction would
prove false if wool and woolen goods
were admitted wholly free of tax
The home industry would survive,
just as the manufacture of qulnine
survived. The foreigner would not
demand exorbitant prices for woolens
any more than he demands an exorb.
liant price for quinine. There is not
the least danger that the woolen manu-
facturers of England, Germany and
France, or even those of any one Of |
those countries, would enter into q
conspiracy to demand exorbitant prices
from us. They would compete against
one another, and we would get our
wooden goods Tor just about one-half
Of what we now have to pay. II